How to Help Your Child Through a Bout of Poison Ivy

My son recently contracted poison ivy on his ankles. Frustratingly itchy for adults, poison ivy can be brutal for children. This proved true with my son who was having diffulties sleeping at night due to the intense itching.

How Do You Recognize a Poison Ivy Rash?

Suspect a poison ivy rash if your child has been in a wooded area. Areas with lots of shrubs and overgrowth are also suspect. The rash will be extremely itchy and you may notice small fluid-filled blisters as well as red bumps. There will often be strait lines of bumps or blisters. The lines show up when the rash is itched before the oils are washed off. The itching motion spreads the oils in a strait line pattern on the skin.

Sometimes it is difficult to know when a child has come into contact with poison ivy. If the child doesn't recognize the plant, then it is nearly impossible to know until an itchy rash develops a day or two later.

Prevent Poison Ivy from Spreading

Common throughout most of the U.S., the poison ivy leaves contain urushiol, an oil that rubs off onto the skin and clothing of anyone that touches it. At the first sign of a poison ivy rash, it is necessary to give your child a bath or shower. The affected areas need to be washed thoroughly with soap and water. This will remove any remaining oils on your child's skin.

Poison ivy is only spread through continued contact with urushiol, so once that is washed off, the rash should stop spreading. Be sure to wash hands and clean under fingernails as well. You may even want to trim your child's fingernails to help prevent scratching.

Unfortunately, the poison ivy oils will remain on clothing and bedding until washed off. Once you discover a poison ivy rash, everything your child has come into contact with since the initial exposure should be washed.

Treat the Symptoms

A mild to moderate poison ivy rash can last up to two weeks. Rashes that are more serious can last longer. Relieve your child's symptoms by trying a variety of over the counter and home remedies.

Poison Ivy Home Remedies

Make a baking soda paste with water and baking soda. The baking soda will soothe the itching and help dry out the blisters. While this method did not provide instant relief for my son, he did say that the rash stopped itching after several minutes.

An oatmeal compress is very soothing for itchy rashes. Make an oatmeal compress by putting a scoop of oatmeal in a washcloth, fastening the ends with a rubber band and saturating the whole thing in water. This is my son's favorite poison ivy remedy because it provides instant, long-lasting relief.

Try putting a banana skin on the rash. The inside of a banana peel is supposed to provide relief. My son found that this method was not as effective as the other home remedies. He reported that the rash still itched for quite awhile, but the longer the banana skin stayed in contact with the rash, the more soothing it was.

Medicinal Poison Ivy Remedies

Calamine lotion is the classic poison ivy remedy. If you keep your Calamine lotion in the fridge, it will be cool and soothing when applied. The lotion stops the itch and helps dry up the blisters. My son preferred Calamine lotion when he had to go to school and could not use an oatmeal compress.

Hydrocortisone cream is another medicinal remedy. This should provide immediate itch relief. If not, consult a doctor who may be able to prescribe a stronger concentration. We were able to control the itching with the home remedies and the Calamine lotion, so my son did not try Hydrocortisone cream on his poison ivy rash.

If the rash is extensive or is in a sensitive area, like the face, you should take your child to the doctor.

For more information on poison ivy, read The Best Immediate Poison Ivy Treatment by Kritstie Leong M.D.